I am in cold, snowy Colorado, but I’m so happy to be here because this is where I get to spend my winter break with my beautiful boy and volunteer with the wolves.

Last week, I talked to you about trying a happiness experiment, and here’s what it is:

Every time someone asks you, "How are you doing?" your answer is simply, "I’m happy."

Our usual automatic response tends to be, "I’m fine" or "I’m good."

But imagine truly saying — "I’m happy" — thinking of those little things that bring gratitude.

Maybe it's the fact that you're healthy or someone you love is healthy. That you have a job, food in the pantry, or hot running water.

Think about everything that a refugee arriving here might long for when they arrive with nothing but the clothes on their back.

You have so much to be thankful for—and that’s where happiness starts.

So, here's my challenge to you for one week.

Whether it's in the grocery store line or talking with a friend, every time someone asks how you are, tell them, "I’m happy."

See how it makes you feel. And I'd love for you to share your experience with me.

I hope you have an amazing day. 

I'm coming to you again from Colorado at Mission: Wolf, where I've coming to volunteer for three years.

It's coooold, but that's okay because I'm happy.

Speaking of happy, I want to do a happiness experiment.

When people ask me how I'm doing, I intentionally say, "I'm happy."

And I think, because I'm saying that I'm happy, it can really turn things around for me, even if I'm having a crappy day.

I've learned there are so many simple things we can be happy about:

• Food in the fridge
• Hot running water
• Time with a loved one
• A beautiful sky outside your window (or tipi door!)

What's one simple thing you can be happy about today?

Next week I'm going to talk to you more about this happiness experiment so you can go along this ride with me.

Until then, I hope you have an amazing and happy day!

I’m coming to you, as I have for the past 2 years, from Mission: Wolf, right outside of Westcliffe, Colorado.

Just got done with my family and drove in today, and I've got to tell you...

I’m really glad to be here.

I've been living in insanity.

And if you know the definition of insanity (as I learned it in a 12-step program), it's doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Well, guess what?

I've been living that definition. Even after studying spiritual principles for years, I found myself holding onto expectations that just didn’t match reality.

But here's cool thing.

I recognized what I was doing and made a shift.

Instead of holding on, I decided to let it go.

I stopped judging, stopped expecting, and chose to simply enjoy the moment.

If you find yourself feeling a little “insane,” ask yourself:

Am I doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results?

Maybe it’s time to shift the way you're looking at the situation.

Let go of those expectations and just enjoy the present moment.

Hope you have an amazing day — and an amazing new year!

Today I'm at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, and it's a beautiful day.

The message I want to share with you today is to always do your best.

This is one of the four agreements author Don Miguel Ruiz talks about in his book, The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom.

I believe we are.

Sometimes kids are told that they're not living up to their potential. But are they really?

I think they're doing the best they can.

That's why we have to love our parents for what they give us (or maybe don't give us) because they are doing the best they can in that moment.

So, maybe you didn't get your English paper written on time, but were you trying your best?

I think we should always make a valiant effort. And we can also love others, trusting that they're making their valiant effort.

Something to think about. 

I hope you have an amazing day. 

Yes, your mind is powerful.

I was reminded yesterday about an exercise of writing down two things:

1. What I would love or want to do in my life
2. The reason for doing that

One of the things I wrote was I want to laugh more with my son because it allows us to connect.

It's fun. It's joyous to be around a teenager who is laughing. His laughter is contagious and reminds me not to take life too seriously.

I wrote that yesterday morning, and here's what happened at dinner.

He decided to teach me about adolescent terminology. We laughed and laughed as he tried to explain slang terms like "fanum taxing."

If you don't know what fanum taxing is, well, it has something to do with stealing a friend's food.

Very interesting.

The mind is so powerful in what it is manifesting.

Is it creating a life of "I'm sick, always sick" and then staying sick?

Or knowing "I'm healthy, I can be healthy, I can overcome anything."

Every day, keep in mind, in what way are you allowing your mind to be powerful?

Are you allowing your thoughts to hinder and limit you? Or are they expanding your life?

I hope you have an amazing day. 

Alignment journaling is a really cool thing that I've been doing for a while.

In my 12 step program, I just called it a daily inventory.

Each night you write down...

• Your thoughts
• Your feelings
• Your actions
• What values you followed throughout the day

You're doing this to see is if you are in alignment with your true self. 

It's an opportunity to look back on your day and see what you loved and where you can do better.

Are you staying in alignment with your goals?

Are you staying in alignment with the person that you want to be?

Alignment journaling will help us make better conscious choices and get back on track when we've steered away with our thoughts, our attitude or our actions. Writing daily can help us keep going in the direction of what we would love.

So I encourage you today to start alignment journaling.

It'll only take about five minutes a day to create a daily inventory that lets you look back later to see how much you've grown.

A short but sweet message from my nieces this week — Happy Thanksgiving!

I love these girls and I'm always grateful for the time I get to spend with them.

We've been getting creative and talking about thankfulness.

What should we be grateful for?

Everything.

That's right. Everything.

I know it's not always easy, but it's worth looking for the unexpected blessings. (And if you'd like encouragement in this, explore this collection of videos about gratitude.)

I'm grateful for you and the difference you make in this world!

Hope you have an amazing day.

My voice is a little hoarse today.

It's one of two things.

Either allergies...

or the fact that I screamed so hard at my son's robotics competition, and we got 9th place!

I'm so excited.

You might wonder why I'm so excited for 9th place?

Well, compared to last year — they were 30 something — it is a major leap forward.

It's like a whole new team.

They are growing exponentially.

And I know some of y'all are having a really hard time because of the election, and stepping into fear.

But I want to encourage you.

You can be happy no matter what the situation.

If you're upset about something, do something about it.

And then allow yourself to step back into joy.

Don't let yourself live in fear.

Enjoy 9th place at the robotics competition.  

I got a lot of amazing feedback from last week's post.

One from Mary Bridget said:

"My prayer is we come together as one because it's not one person in Washington that brings unity, healing and love to our nation. We must remember that peace does not lie in outside circumstances, but within ourselves."

So it's about us feeling love and peace. We can be united by that.

Because you have power and peace within you.

When you feel that, and you radiate that out to the world, it will make a difference.

So let us go into peace and go into love.

Gratitude helps a lot and there is so much for us to be grateful for.

I'm grateful I've got hot running water and electricity in my house. 

How about you?

What are you grateful for today?

My message for you today is to Stay in your Truth.

Our point is to love —  love others and love ourselves.

That is the whole point of being here.

Don't jump into fear. It does nothing.

Don't jump into worry. That does nothing.

All you can do is stay true to who you are, keep moving forward in love. . . 

and the world can be a greater place.

I'm kind of in shock today.

But I'm staying in love and I'm staying out of worry.

And I hope you are able to do that too.

If there is any way I can support you, please reach out to me.